Not Only Human
by Rainia Wolf
Summary: A vampire with a shady past comes to Fell's Church to start a new life, followed by her evil sister. Bonnie notices an uncanny similar to the saga between Elena/Stefan/Damon. It's happening again to her younger brother Jason. Can they stop the cycle befor
1. Default Chapter

Disclaimer: All VD ideas, concepts and characters belong to LJS. Raquelle Valentina, Seraphina Valentina, Jason McCullough, Daphne Sanderson, and anyone else unrecognised belong to me. Please ask me if you wish to use them.   
  
Summary: A vampire with a shady past comes to Fell's Church to start a new life, followed by her evil sister. Bonnie notices an uncanny similar to the saga between Elena/Stefan/Damon. It's happening again to her younger brother Jason. Can they stop the cycle before history repeats itself?  
  
Part 1  
  
September 10th 2001  
Monday 6:09 am  
Dear Diary,   
It's not easy being perfect. Someone has to do it, and I guess I really don't mind if it's me. Schools well under way now. And everyone's still looking up to me and admiring me. But it's hard. It's not like I'm just your average all American Miss Popularity. I have to live up to people's expectations. Elena Gilbert has been dead and buried for what...five years now? And yet, people still remember her, they still say, "Remember when Elena and Bonnie did..."  
  
It can really get annoying sometimes. I'd like to be my own person, not live up to a dead girl's reputation. Elena maybe dead, but she's sure as hell not forgotten. It's not just her that's making me feel weird. I don't know what it is. I have a sort uncanny feeling for things like these, almost like a sixth sense. I sometimes can feel things that aren't there. (No, I don't see dead people, and I'm glad about it.)  
  
I don't really know how to describe it. People whisper maybe I'm like Bonnie, with all her weird powers. Bonnie is my boyfriend Jason's older sister. She's just graduated from NYU and has come home for a visit for a few weeks before venturing out into the big wide world.  
  
The thought of the wide world out there scares me. I'm quite happy here in Fell's Church, a nice town where everyone knows me and everyone likes me. Everyone does what I tell them to.   
  
I'm getting an impression that maybe everything's not so peaceful as it seems. I know the town has a bad history, people talk that there were vampires here once. What a load of crap.   
  
But the idea does seem kind of intriguing. Living forever, being beautiful and powerful. Hmm...  
  
But the idea of gaining al of these from other people's blood maybe isn't so enticing after all. I think for now I'd just like to be plain old human.   
  
I don't know what's wrong with me. I can't shake off a feeling that something's going to happen. Someone's coming.   
  
Someone whose going to change everything...and maybe not for the best.   
  
* * *  
  
  
Part 2  
  
The sky was darkening rapidly, and twinkling stars were starting to peek out from behind a few clouds in the twilight of the evening. Raquelle smiled. The night always made her feel peaceful. Her best element, no matter how much she'd like to hide from the fact. She sat on the broken wall in the ruined church in the graveyard in the small American town of Fell's Church. She'd been hiding in small towns in this country for a while now, trying to adapt to the lifestyle and language before making herself known. Her English wasn't all that good, at least now she hoped she'd improved.   
  
She'd spent a long time hiding. Maybe it was time to venture into the world again. And Fell's Church seemed like a nice place to be. It seemed like a good town, one of those towns where everyone knew everyone else. She hoped she could fit in here.   
  
She heard footsteps coming, and slunk back into the shadows easily. A couple were walking quickly down the stone steps. A boy and a girl, both looking around eighteen. She was small, with blonde hair, perfectly in place, short skirt, expensive blouse, heels. He was wearing jeans, a t-shirt and a letterman jacket from the local high school. His hair was sort of rusty red, his eyes a bright and shining blue. Something about him seemed to radiate outwards. From her hiding place Raquelle could almost sense his powerful personality. She found herself fascinated.   
  
But he didn't seem all that comfortable. He was walking quickly. He kept glancing around, as if he could feel her eyes watching him. He stuck his hands into his jacket pockets and walked on.  
  
"Jason!" the girl was whining. "Wait up! I can't walk fast in heels! I don't want to ruin them. Do you know how much Gucci shoes cost?"  
  
The boy sighed. "Daphne come on. I want to get out of here. I don't like this place."  
  
"Well it's quicker than having to go all the way through town since they never bothered rebuilding Wickery Bridge."  
  
"It's be quicker if you hurried up a little," he said impatiently. "Why can't you wear sensible shoes like everyone else?"  
  
The girl - Daphne - was insulted. "Everyone else? You want me to be mediocre and dull and not bright and special?"  
  
The boy looked heavenwards. "Daph, that's not what I meant. I only said - "  
  
"You'd rather I wear normal and not dress nicely and fashionably. Do you not want me to be popular?"  
  
Raquelle's nose wrinkled in distaste. From her research of human life in the modern world it seemed popularity was everything. Did it really matter what famous designer made your shoes? She'd have to take note of that for when she enrolled in the high school on Monday.   
  
Jason turned then, and seemed to meet her gaze directly. His head tilted, and he opened his mouth to go. Daphne turned too, and saw her looking at them. She frowned and tugged Jason's arm. "Let's go," she said.   
  
She dragged him off down the path, not whining about her expensive shoes anymore. Jason turned back, several times, trying to get a glimpse of her.   
  
Raquelle frowned, tugging on a strand of her own gentle blonde locks. She might be 300, but she still looked eighteen. She still found it hard to accept being a vampire. The other kids would too. They wouldn't understand. As far as they were concerned, vampires were just myths. And she hoped she could keep it that way.   
  
It would be hard enough for her, coming to a new school surrounded by people she didn't know, judging her, making sure she didn't wear the wrong shoes. Daphne had made the clear point that fashion was important. She must be one of the popular people.   
  
Raquelle left the cemetery then, heading for the only boarding house she'd found in Fell's Church, run my a mysterious old lady named Mrs. Flowers. She wasn't rude or senile, at least not in Raquelle's view...but...she just seemed...eccentric. She'd known to invite Raquelle in when she'd come to request the room.   
  
Raquelle had taken the room in the attic, it had a flight of stairs that helped her get onto the roof. Good for her feeding. She didn't want to be seen. She'd found a few things left in the room by its last occupant. A silver dagger, some Florentine coins. She remembered the coins. She'd been from Rome originally.   
  
But something had bothered her. She wasn't sure what it was. When she'd first arrived there had been an undeniable sense of Power about the town. Good or bad, she hadn't been able to tell, but there had been a very strong feeling in the air. Waves that meant the fine hairs on the back of her neck stand in end.   
  
She'd been in the library when her first memories of *him* had been stirred. She still remembered it clearly even now. Damon's touch, the thrill he'd given her when he'd crept into her room late at night, when he'd kissed her. He'd seemed more interested in her neck than other places, which had come as a surprise to her. Of course, he had liked to touch her in certain places, and she hadn't objected at all. He made it all so special, so...tingly. The feeling of heat and fire as he'd caressed her special places was something she'd never forget.   
  
But it was his kisses to her neck that were the best. A sharp pain at first and then...feelings so wonderful she couldn't put them into words. A devastating bliss that seemed to always take her to higher planes...  
  
But how had she known that loving a vampire could be a mistake? She hadn't meant to drink his blood. Had he some how hypnotised her not to know what was going on? All she knew that it was an amazing forbidden pleasure. Something that no one else but her could have. She hadn't known it would change her completely. She sighed sadly, studying the golden ring he'd given her, set with a blue stone, the colour of her eyes.   
  
Damon had been almost wistful when he'd placed it on her finger. She had wondered what was wrong. But he'd been evasive on the subject, and had bent to kiss her so she hadn't objected.   
  
It wasn't until he'd left her when she realised what he was, what had happened to her. She had thought it was a strange place to wake up, inside a tomb. She remembered going to sleep in her big, beautiful bed, with Damon beside her to cuddle up to. But he had been gone, and she had been cold and a strange feeling was gnawing at her insides.   
  
She had gone home, and all the servants had screamed at her. They all looked so frightened. She tried to enter the manor house, only to find she couldn't. And the priest came, and told her she was an unholy monster who needed an invitation to get inside, and to go away because she wasn't going to get one. (He'd been politer than that in his strange biblical way, but that was pretty much the gist of what he'd been telling her.)  
  
She had immediately gone to find Damon. To see him giving her older sister Serephina the wonderful, magic kisses he'd given her. She'd fled. She'd found others of her kind, who'd taught her how to adapt.   
  
She'd even met Damon's nice younger brother Stefan once. At the time, she'd decided she liked him a lot more than Damon. Damon had gone from a romantic, gorgeous dream-guy to an arrogant bastard who'd be sorry if he crossed her path again. Stefan was nice, but he'd been...out of it slightly. He looked like a lost child, as if he were missing something important.   
  
She frowned, thinking of what she'd found in the library that had set off her memories of Damon. She'd seen a book with a blue velvet cover on one of the display stands. It had been just out, as if to pick up and read. So she had. She'd been amazed to read the account of the girl's life, her turmoil with Stefan and Damon. Sensible girl had gone for Stefan. It seemed Stefan had found in the girl, Elena, what he seemed to be missing when Raquelle had first met him. The whole book had been wonderful. But surely that's all it was, a wonderfully written story in a nice display book, written in the style of a diary. Maybe this girl had seen them or heard their names and created the story around them.   
  
It seemed unlikely that Stefan or Damon had ever been in such a small town like this. She closed the front door to the boarding house after stepping inside.   
  
"Lock the door, girl," a cracked old voice called from the landing at the top of the stairs. "We don't want the bad nasties coming in."   
  
Raquelle obediently locked the door. Mrs. Flowers went to her room, and Raquelle went to hers. She collapsed on her bed, without bothering to get undressed. Her eyes closed, and she tried to calm the butterflies starting in her stomach. She told herself it was just nerves from the first day of school tomorrow. And yet, for some reason, she was having trouble believing that.  
* * *  
  
  



	2. Part 3-4

Part 3  
  
"Hi Daphne!"  
  
"Hey Daphne!"  
  
"Looking hot today Dap!"  
  
Choruses of his and hellos greeted Daphne from everywhere as she sauntered into the high school that morning. She hadn't seen or heard from Jason since last night. He hadn't called her this morning. What was the matter with him?   
  
She made her way through the halls to her locker, taking time to acknowledge all who spoke to her, even the unpopular people, who glowed when she nodded, or even gave the blessing of saving high. Some of them went away as if walking on air on the rare occasions she remembered their name.   
  
Daphne felt like she was singing inside. She didn't know why she felt so good today.   
  
"You're happy," her friend Abi said, as they met by their lockers. Abi was short and bouncy, with rich chestnut coloured hair cascading down her back in tight curls. She was dressed in a blue halter-neck and a short blue skirt. On her feet she wore white strappy sandals.   
  
"I'm in a very good mood today," Daphne said brightly.   
  
"Someone got lucky last night," Beth York put in, joining them. Beth was tall, her red hair tied in a tight braid that hung down her back. She was dressed in jeans and a short sleeved top. She was the "Meredith" of this year's popular group. Abi was considered the "Bonnie" while Daphne got the privilege of being the "Elena". Being compared to those three girls was supposed to be a better honour than being crowned Prom Queen. But Daphne wasn't so sure about that. She was up for Homecoming Queen in two weeks.   
  
"Actually, not even half," Daphne admitted. "Jason took off after we went to the movies." Her nose wrinkled slightly. "I don't know what was the matter with him."  
  
"How come?" Abi asked, taking out the books she needed for the morning.   
  
Daphne shrugged. "I don't know. I made him take the short cut through the old cemetery - "  
  
"That's probably why he freaked," Beth said dismissively. "Those McCulloughs are all weird about that place."  
  
"That's supposedly where it all happened," Abi argued. "You can't blame Bonnie for being a little weird in cemeteries, especially if you knew your best friend *died* there."  
  
"Can we change the subject?" Daphne snapped. Her good mood seemed to have dwindled as her thoughts drifted to Jason. She didn't understand why he'd been so distant since they'd passed the ruined church.   
  
  
It was almost as if he were in a daze. He kept looking back over his shoulder, looking for someone who wasn't there. Daphne frowned, remembering a brief glimpse of a face and eyes watching them from the shadows. Eyes that almost seemed to burn.   
  
*~"...Eyes in the dark...they burned me..."~*  
  
She shuddered as she thought of poor Vickie Bennett. The girl was a lunatic, who'd finally lost control enough to destroy herself and take her life in such a horrible way...  
  
The town had talked about it for weeks afterwards.   
  
"Hello, what's going on?" Abi was saying, bringing Daphne out of her reverie.   
  
Daphne blinked, focusing on what was going on. A crowd of students were starting to head towards the front entrance by the office. Mainly boys. The three girls exchanged glances. Something was up.   
  
Daphne and her friends made her way through the crowd to see what the commotion was. The crowd of boys parted to let them through. A new girl was finishing signing in at the office. The secretary was handing her a class schedule.   
  
The girl was tall and slender, with hair the colour of molten gold falling down her back, shimmering like a waterfall. Her eyes were a blue darker than the sky, but not quite midnight blue, somewhere in between. They seemed wise, somehow, full of knowledge. The eyes of someone who had seen a lot. She was dressed in black leather trousers, a short sleeved top with a twisting design, and a long black duster coat. The heat was sweltering. How could she stand a coat in such hot weather? Maybe just to add to her mysterious appearance.   
  
Her features were exquisite, so perfect she could have been a sculptor's dream. Her skin was like marble, and as smooth. There was an aura about the girl. One of...of...power. It surrounded her with a faint blue-black shine. Daphne could almost see it. She was sure she was just imagining things. But was she?  
  
She noticed the boys all seemed entranced with her. They couldn't take their eyes off her. They muttered to each other behind their hands, glancing at the girl's long legs, her large chest, emphasised by the low cut top, how slender and supple she looked.   
  
Daphne thought of reading in Elena's diary when Stefan Salvatore had first arrived at school. The girls had all reacted like he was something out of a dream. Sexy and new and different. And now the boys were reacting the same to this new girl.   
  
Daphne had an unusual sense of déjà vu. She wasn't sure why she was getting the feeling. It was almost like one of history repeating itself. Did that mean she was going to die too? Die so young, like Elena?  
  
No. No. Not going to happen to her. No way. Besides, Stefan had been a vampire. Vampires weren't real. Elena had probably just made that up. She had to have.   
  
She turned on her heel when the bell rang, and her friends followed like good sheep.   
  
"Daphne? Are you okay?" Abi asked, frowning.   
  
"I'm fine," Daphne lied as they sat down. The new girl walked into the room and took a seat at the back of the room, opposite Daphne.   
"You wouldn't be a little jealous, would you?" Beth said with a raised eyebrow.   
  
"Why should I be jealous?" Daphne snapped. To prove it, she turned around and smiled brightly at the new girl. "Hi," she said brightly. "You're new?"  
  
The girl nodded her golden head. "Raquelle Valentina." Her accent was strange, foreign sounding.   
  
"Where are you from?" Beth asked. "You have an accent."  
  
"Naples, in Italy," Raquelle answered.   
  
She answered their questions patiently, but Daphne noticed she seemed to be evasive with her answers. When the teacher came in to start the lesson she faced the front and didn't say a word the rest of the period. Daphne looked at Abi, who just shrugged helplessly. When the period was over, the girl smiled politely at them, and left the room.   
  
"She's weird," Abi said.   
  
"She's probably just nervous about being in a new place surrounded by new people," Beth said reasonably. "Give her a break."  
  
Daphne didn't say anything. She thought Abi was right. The girl *was* strange. She was hiding something. Anyone who looked at her could see that. What was she hiding? Daphne frowned, wondering if she really wanted to know.   
  
* * *  
Part 4  
  
Raquelle didn't like the feel of eyes on her as she drifted to her next class. Everywhere she turned it seemed there were people looking at her. Mainly boys, whispering to each other about how long her legs were, how good her breasts would look without the top on. The stares she got were the ones when men were mentally undressing you and wondering how good you'd be in bed. She shuddered at the thought.   
  
She'd only been with one man her entire life, and still, Damon had proved to her that love was dangerous. She's trusted him, even enough to sleep with him, and he had bitterly betrayed her.   
  
Ever since the discovery of that lovely little book she'd read in the library, memories of her brief relationship with Damon had been swamping her, sometimes, hurting enough to make her cry. Every time she thought of him, a small sentence kept flying through her mind *The past can't hurt you, it can kill you.*   
  
She didn't know where the sentence came from, or what it meant. Was it something she'd heard someone say to her in the past. But as the memories overwhelmed her, so did a sense of fear that came every time she remembered that little phrase. Along with another one, too *History repeats itself*.  
  
She didn't understand that either. Maybe coming here was a bad idea. She hated the ideas of everyone eyeing her and judging her like those girls had been in her first class. She knew they were just trying to be friendly, but she also knew they were making snap judgements of her. Apparently, the word of those girls was almost like a law. If they decided something about you, everyone else thought that too. Maybe she wanted to get into their good books. She shuddered at what they would have done to her if they ever found out the truth...  
  
No. No. No one would ever know about her. No.   
  
Not paying attention to where she was going Raquelle didn't see the boy she bumped into until she collided with him, dropping her books, sending papers scattering over the hall floor. She stared down in dismay, before bending hurriedly to gather them up, snapping one of her long red nails at the same time. Things were just not working out for her today. She was a bundle of nerves.  
  
"Here, let me help," the boy said kindly, bending to help her gather her things. She looked up at him, managing a weak smile. And stared. It was the boy she'd seen in the cemetery the other night. The one who had fascinated her.   
  
He was dressed pretty much the same as he had been the other night, jeans, T-shirt and his letterman jacket. Well, the T-shirt had changed. Their eyes met and there seemed to be something passing between them. Raquelle didn't understand it. He was looking at her, as fascinated about her, as she was about him. There was a strange tension crackling in the air between them, seeming to intensify the longer they spent looking at each other.   
  
"Uh hi," he said with a friendly smile. "I'm Jason McCullough." His eyes were the blue of a summer sky, sparkling and cheerful.  
  
Raquelle suddenly felt shy, like when she had first met Damon. "Raquelle Valentino."  
  
"You're new," he said.  
  
She nodded. "I moved here a few days ago."  
  
He handed her the things he'd gathered, and she took them gratefully, getting to her feet. "How'd you like Fell's Church so far?"  
  
She brightened. "I like it. It's...homely."  
  
He smiled. "Typical small town USA."  
  
"I don't know about that," she said. "There's...I don't know. Something...special.." She trailed off suddenly and bit her lip. What was she *saying?* He was going to think she was crazy.  
  
But he was smiling, as if he understood. "I know what you mean," he said. "It has a certain...quality to it."  
  
The bell rang then, signalling that they should be in class. "I guess we should get to class," he said. She nodded.   
  
"I'll see you round," he said, heading off down the hall.   
  
"I hope so," she muttered, once she was out of ear shot. She glanced down at her schedule realising she was in the wrong part of the building for her next class. She turned and hurried out of Jason's presence before she could melt into a puddle at his feet.  
  
* * *  
  



	3. Parts 5-7

Part 5  
  
Jason's thoughts drifted from history class to the new girl, Raquelle. She was much more interesting to think about. He'd heard kids talk about her all morning. How mysterious she was, how smart, apparently, too. The guys all thought she was hot. And, admittedly, if only to himself, Jason would put himself in that camp.  
  
Raquelle *was* hot. There was...something...about her. Something that said she was different from every other girl he'd met before. Maybe it was her eyes, a colour of blue deeper than the sky, not quite midnight, somewhere in between. When she had first looked at him it had seemed as if she was staring right down inside him, into the core of his very soul...  
  
No other girl had ever made him think like that. Daphne certainly hadn't. Now, after meeting Raquelle, he was starting to think about Daphne a little differently. Daphne was...superficial. She didn't really seem to have much plans for the future or anything. Hell, he didn't even know if she wanted to go to college after she graduated, she refused to talk about things like that. Daphne's thoughts were all on herself and now. Occasionally, her thoughts might stray to him every now and then, but...  
  
He shook his head, confused. What was the matter with him? Daphne was the most popular girl in school, the image of Elena Gilbert, sophisticated, fun-loving, romantic, dreamy...who could want more?  
  
Meeting a strange new girl and talking to her for less that ten minutes had already changed his views on Daphne completely. How would Daphne take it if he broke up with her. Homecoming was in another week...Daphne was up for Queen...she'd go berserk if he dumped her. After all, he had an image too. Mr All-American popularity. If he dumped Daphne his whole image could be shattered. Daphne could do a surprising amount of damage.  
  
He dreaded to think what she would do to Raquelle, even if he didn't dump her, just if she knew he liked her. Daphne didn't take well to him liking other girls. Especially people like Raquelle, who had an air of complete mystery about her.   
  
He was surprised to find Raquelle sitting with Daphne's crowd at lunch. She noticeably didn't look all that happy to see that he and Daphne were a couple. Daphne was making a pretty big show of it, and it was getting on his nerves. Daphne acted like she owned him.  
  
But Raquelle seemed to be fitting in quite well. She answered questions carefully, as if there was something she was hiding, which just made her all the more attractive. More than once Daphne kicked him under the table when she caught him staring at Raquelle.   
  
Who are you Raquelle? He thought. A sudden thought occurred to him, and he wondered if he really wanted to know.  
* * *  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Part 6  
  
Two weeks had passed by, and Raquelle had found herself enjoying school. She had fit in surprisingly well, the people found her intriguing and mysterious and listened to her when she talked. She had gone to the Homecoming dance that weekend with a nice boy Jason had introduced her to, Richard, one of his team-mates. She liked him, but it had just been one date, not enough sparks or anything to turn into a relationship.   
  
Daphne had been very pretty as she had been crowned queen, and Jason had stood beside her, seeming very proud. A stab of jealousy overwhelmed her. Jason had been in her thoughts ever since she had arrived at Robert E. Lee, and that morning she had spoken to him for the first time. Waking or sleeping, she thought of nothing but him.   
  
She was fast falling in love with him, and knew from experience love was dangerous. But he was with Daphne. Daphne was still kind of remote, and Raquelle wondered if maybe Daphne was a little jealous of her.   
  
She kept her feelings about Jason to herself. Unsure why, she found herself gliding around the cemetery. She wasn't sure why she was so drawn here. Maybe her nature, other ideas of death fascinated her. These people here were all dead and gone, all at rest, and at peace like they should be. That was what should happen when you died.   
  
When you were dead, you should be left dead. Creatures like herself, ones thought of in myths and legends, should remain myths and legends.  
  
She paused, shuddering to think of what Jason would think of her if he knew her secret. How would he react to know she was the walking undead? Would he be able to accept her.   
  
One of the main reasons she kept her feelings about him to herself. If she confessed to him how she felt, how attracted to him she was...she 'd seen him looking at her, and wondered if he liked her, maybe a little...but if she told him, and he said he loved her too, she might feel compelled to tell him who she really was. And then he would hate her, and everyone else would be afraid, and they would drive her out of town...  
  
A sound of soft footsteps caught her ears, and she looked around, wondering who else was in the cemetery. There was a presence there, a familiar one...  
  
She moved through the darkness, following her senses, stopping when she spied a figure moving in the darkness. She frowned, even with her night vision she was having trouble trying to identify figure. He seemed to blend into the night itself, as if he were part of it.   
  
He stepped under one of the sparse lights then, and Raquelle drew back into the shadows with a gasp of shock. Damon? Damon was here? In Fell's Church? She fled before he could see her.   
* * *  
  
  
  
  
  
Part 7  
  
Bonnie sat in the lounge of her parent's house, a cup of herbal tea in her hands. She was house-sitting for them while they were on a much-needed vacation. She was also supposed to be keeping her eye on her baby brother Jason. But he was a senior, old enough to take care of himself now. But ever since she'd gotten into so much trouble in her senior year, they had been a little protective over him.   
  
But that had been almost five years ago. Five years...it had passed so quickly. Stefan and Elena had disappeared off to Europe, Meredith had gone off to Duke and had a degree in Parapsychology, and she herself had gone off to Boone college. Matt had gone off to California and she hadn't seen him in almost two years, Caroline had gone off Harvard of all places, she ran her own magazine company. She had a new apartment in New York and was moving in in a few weeks after they'd finished decorating.   
  
As for Damon...no one had any ideas what he was doing. No one had seen him since that night in the clearing when he'd left. Not that she cared. She had decided long ago she could do better, and had stopped thinking about him. Up until yesterday. She could have sworn she'd seen him around.  
  
As if by an unfair twist of fate, the doorbell rang then. Annoyed, and grumbling under her breath, she put her tea down and went to answer it. And got a surprise.  
  
"Hi there, miss me?" Damon was leaning against the door, a predatory smile on his face. He didn't wait to be asked, and barged inside.   
  
"I didn't invite you in," she snapped.  
  
"No, you didn't," he agreed. "Elena did, remember?"  
  
Bonnie glared. "What are you doing here, Damon?"  
  
He shrugged. "An old friend can't come by and say hello? How long has it been since we last saw each other...four years?"  
  
"Almost five," she corrected.   
  
He looked around. "I can see this hasn't changed much." He studied her. "And neither have you."  
  
Bonnie ignored the comment. She didn't say anything, because he was annoyingly right. She still looked exactly the same as she had in high school, with her fluffy red curls, heart-shaped face and warm brown eyes. She hadn't changed much in height either. "Neither have you, for that matter," she pointed out.   
  
Damon was still the same as always, dark and sexy, alluring and intriguing, and still one of the most confusing people she had ever met.   
  
He chuckled. "I haven't changed in about five hundred years. So, what's everyone else up to?"  
  
"Meredith went off to Duke, she's in L.A. at the moment with a degree in Parapsychology. She's going to come and visit in a day or two. Stefan took Elena off for a tour around Europe, Matt went off to California, Caroline runs a magazine company."  
  
"And you're stuck here in boring old Fell's Church," Damon said sympathetically. "How come?"  
  
Bonnie opened her mouth to say Fell's Church *wasn't* boring. But in the last five years, nothing had happened. No new vampires had come, no nothing. Or so she'd heard. "I graduated from Boone College, and have an apartment in New York, it's being furnished at the moment, so I'm staying here for a few weeks before I venture out into the world. And - "  
  
The door opened then, and Jason came in, a very pretty girl with him. She was tall, dressed in dark clothing with a figure that could stop traffic on the freeway. Her eyes were jewel blue, her hair pale gold. She reminded Bonnie faintly of Katherine.  
  
"Hey sis," Jason said cheerfully. "We have a school project to work on, so we're gonna be taking over the kitchen." He eyed Damon then, his smile fading, an unimpressed look on his face. Damon's expression was equally unimpressed. "New boyfriend?"  
  
Bonnie could feel heat rising to her cheeks. "*No*," she said emphatically, glaring at Damon. "Damon was just leaving."  
  
Bonnie realised then, that Jason's new friend was also staring at Damon. But her expression wasn't the usual one Damon got from girls of admiration and awe - hers was one of absolute shock and horror.   
  
"Raquelle?" Jason asked, frowning. "What's wrong?"  
  
"I - I - I have to go now," the new girl stammered, and shoved past Bonnie, running as if for her life.   
  
Damon looked confused. "What was that all about?"  
  
Bonnie shrugged. "You tell me."  
  
"I have no idea," Damon said, looking in the direction the girl had gone.   
  
Neither did anyone else.   
  
* * *   
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	4. Parts 8-9

Part 8  
  
Dear Diary,  
  
October 4th 2001,  
There's something weird going on. I know it's got something to do with that strange new girl Raquelle. She's weird. Everyone thinks she's fascinating, cause she's from a foreign country. She's smart and sophisticated. When most of the guys look at her, I swear some of them go all drooly.   
  
And Jason in particular. I saw him looking at her in history the other day, and it was like he was in some sort of trance. I called to hi, but he didn't hear me. His mind was completely blank.  
  
Of course, Beth and Abi just think I'm overreacting. They think I'm jealous. I suppose, in a way, maybe I am. There's still something *weird*. Raquelle seems more out of it than most of the guys that stare at her. And the other day, when she was with Abi and me in the bathroom, when we were sorting out our hair, she *did* *not* *reflect*.   
  
I know how crazy that must sound, but she stepped right in front of the mirror, and she didn't reflect in it. I think she knew I saw, cause she stepped out the way suddenly and wouldn't meet my eyes.   
  
There's only one thing that *I* know of that doesn't reflect. And that's...  
  
No. No way. Vampires are just mythology. The stories and rumours that Stefan Salvatore was one, are probably nothing more than that. Rumours. So there's no way that Raquelle can be one.   
  
But the no reflection thing is strange...  
  
* * *  
Daphne frowned, putting her diary in her bag. She sat in a private corner in the school library, wondering what to do. She wondered if maybe she could convince Jason that there was something wrong about not having a reflection. Abi was a witness, maybe she had seen something.   
  
She stood up in a swift movement, gathered her books and walked over to Jason's house. A winter sun hung low in the sky, shining with a faint silvery-yellow glow. The sky was clear and blue, and a faint cold breeze blew through the air.   
  
She smiled, despite the weird things with Raquelle, life was still going pretty good. She approached Jason's house, and paused, spotting the most gorgeous guy she'd ever seen leaning against the door with Jason's sister Bonnie. Bonnie was looking at the guy with a glare on her face. He looked mildly amused. Jason looked a little jealous.   
  
But Daphne's good mood faded the minute she saw Raquelle. The girl was looking at the gorgeous dark guy with a very strange expression on her face, a sort of cross between surprise, and absolute terror.   
  
At then she turned, and ran.   
  
Jason turned and saw her then. She just shrugged, not knowing what was going on. She frowned and crossed the seat, joining him.   
"What's she doing here?" she asked, a dangerous tone to her voice.  
  
"Raquelle and I have a social studies project to work on," he said defensively. "But the minute Raquelle saw Bonnie's new boyfriend she freaked."  
  
He turned to glare at the tall guy. Up close, Daphne saw he was even more gorgeous. His face was a sculptor's dream, his eyes black and endless. He seemed to radiate darkness. There was an aura of power around him, similar to that of Raquelle.   
  
"He is *not* my new boyfriend," Bonnie said, annoyed. "Why does everyone assume that? He's just an old friend. Who is leaving." She glared at the tall guy.  
  
"I think I'm going too," Daphne said.   
  
She turned and ran herself. This was too weird for her.  
  
* * *  
  
Jason went into the house, and Bonnie turned and glared furiously at Damon, who looked innocently back. "What did I do?" he asked.   
  
"You tell me," she said. "Who the hell is that girl? And what'd you do to scare her so much?"  
  
Damon frowned, and just shrugged. "I don't know," he admitted. "She does seem vaguely familiar." He looked in the direction the girl had run. "Maybe I should go," he said. And left, and was gone before Bonnie knew what was happening. She shook her head in confusement and went back into the house. She found Jason in the kitchen.  
  
"Who's that girl?" she asked.   
  
"Raquelle Valentina. She's new, she started last month," he said, seeming a little distracted.   
  
"And Daphne seems a little jealous," Bonnie suggested. She had noticed Daphne didn't look as if she knew what was going on anymore than anyone else.   
  
"Who was that guy?" Jason asked.  
  
Bonnie frowned. "He's Stefan's older brother Damon. He's an asshole. Ignore him."  
  
"I think he knows more than he said," Jason said.  
  
Bonnie frowned again, thinking. Damon had seem slightly distracted, ever since he's first seen Raquelle, as if he knew her, but couldn't figure out where he knew her from. It seemed she couldn't get any peace. "What's going on?" she asked Jason.   
  
He shrugged. "I wish I knew."  
  
The mystery seemed to be building, and it looked like it was getting harder to solve.   
  
* * *  
  
Part 9  
  
Raquelle was unhappy. Her mind whirled around in a turmoil of emotion. Damon was back in town. And he didn't even recognise her. Memories surged up around her, she felt like screaming.   
  
Why now? Why did he have to show up now? When she was starting to settle down? This was turning into a disaster. Would he blab all over town about what she was? Showing off what he was?   
  
Just the thoughts of the things they'd done together, the blood exchanges...it was stirring the demon inside her. She tried to put off feeding as long as possible.   
  
She found herself in the cemetery again, unsure why. It seemed to be the only place she could really belong. The walking undead didn't belong in human society. No matter how much she could look like one, talk like once, act like one, she wasn't. She lacked one major thing - she wasn't alive.   
  
And it was all Damon's fault. She'd known this all along. But seeing him again suddenly made everything come back.   
  
"Hey there," a deep voice said from behind her. Raquelle gripped the tombstone in front of her. She didn't turn around. "The cemetery's a dangerous place for a nice girl to be alone."  
  
Raquelle could feel her fangs growing. The hunger controlled her now. She'd lost her grip. She turned round, and grabbed the boy's shoulders, dragging him to her. "I'm not a nice girl," she said, before sinking her teeth in.   
  
The hot blood gushed into her mouth, warming her, filling her with a heat and power she hadn't felt in so long. She tossed it aside, and retracted her fangs.  
  
A sudden feeling of shame and embarrassment washed over her. What had she been thinking? Anyone could have seen her. She looked around, but could see no one watching. Guilt crowded over her and she fled.  
  
* * *  
Daphne crouched behind the gravestone, clutching her knees. She rubbed her eyes, as if she could rub off what she had just seen. She'd decided to cut through the cemetery rather than go right through town.   
  
Big mistake. She had seen Raquelle wandering around, a vacant expression on her face. She had looked crazed. And it turned out, she was. She had *killed* that boy. She had grown fangs and drunk his blood.   
  
She really was a vampire. Vampires were real. They weren't just myths, stories. That whole thing in Elena's diary was *real.* And Jason. Raquelle liked him, it was obvious. She stared at him, like he stared at her.  
  
Stranding up Daphne ran back the way she'd come, this time not even caring about her expensive shoes. She had more important things to think about now.   
  
  
She pounded on Jason's door. He answered, looking a little annoyed. He seemed surprised to see her. "What's the matter with you?" he asked.   
  
"Raquelle's a vampire," she stated bluntly.   
  
Jason stared at her for a few minutes, no expression on his face. Then he started laughing. "I don't believe this," he snorted. "You're out your mind. Vampires aren't real."  
  
Daphne stared at him, feeling like she wanted to hit him. Get the truth into him somehow. "Yes they are," she snapped. "I saw her. She had pointy teeth and she drank a guy's *blood*."  
  
Jason's humour faded. "This isn't funny anymore."  
  
"It was never meant to be funny," Daphne snapped. "I'm telling you the truth Jason. Raquelle is one of the walking undead!"  
  
Jason shook his head, his expression had turned to one of disgust. "You're pathetic, Daphne. A new girl comes, presents you with a little competition, and you go making up ridiculous stories to scare me away from her?"  
  
Daphne stared at him, mouth open to speak but he cut in before she did.   
  
"If you're that pathetic, then I don't want to see you anymore. Go away Daphne."  
  
Daphne blinked, trying to digest what had happened. She felt a sudden rush of heated anger. "You'll be sorry," she said, and stormed away as he shut the door.   
  
What a day. Daphne shook her head, still trying to digest the events. Oh the hell with it. Who cared? She was going home for some major moping.   
  
* * *  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	5. Parts 10-11

Part 10  
  
Damon's mind drifted back to the strange girl that had looked at him then run. He didn't ever remember that happening before. Most girls who looked at him for the first time melted. They only wanted to run when they found out the truth, but for them, it was too late. His lip curled a little at the thought.  
  
But this girl bugged him. Did she know him some how? Had he known her? It seemed the best thing to do would be to track her down and drag some answers from her.   
  
Using his Powers, he searched, trying to locate her, see if he could sense her mind. The strongest senses of her were coming from the cemetery. Frowning, he wandered down the rows of gravestones, following her scent.   
  
Until something else caught his attention. A whiff of something unpleasant. His toe bumped against something and he looked down, eyebrow raised, a slight smile as he looked down at the body.   
  
What was even more surprising, was the two small teeth marks in the neck, slowly fading now. Well, well. There was another vampire in town. He could feel the strange girl's presence very clearly here. She didn't seem vampire material.   
  
A footstep sounded behind him, loud as a gun shot. He whirled, not sure what he expected to find, and got a surprise.   
  
He found himself facing a tall girl, dressed in tight black leather clothing, golden hair shimmering to her waist, eyes the colour of a summer sky. Her facial features were very similar to the girl who'd run away from him. "Seraphina."  
  
Seraphina's dark lips curled in an amused smile. "Damon."  
  
He eyed her. Not sure what she was up to. Seraphina was a girl he'd changed over three hundred years ago. She had been very pretty, smart, savvy, seductive. The exact opposite of Katherine, who had been too innocent to really understand how the world worked. She may look similar, (or she had back then), but Seraphina's personality was very different.   
  
The twist had come, when after her change, she had been the one who had run out on *him*. He'd forgotten her eventually. "Why are you here?" he asked finally.  
  
"I missed you too," she said sourly, a brilliant smile on her face. "I could ask you the same thing."  
  
He shrugged, deciding why not try the truth for once. There was a first time for everything. But it seemed pointless lying to her. Her mind reading ability was almost scary. "I came to see an old friend," he answered. "How bout I get your answer?"  
  
Seraphina's eyebrows raised and arms folded over her large curved chest. It was hard for him to actually look elsewhere, but he forced himself to look at her eyes. "I was just passing through," she answered. Then she smiled again. "And a particularly nice boy caught my eye, so I thought maybe I'd stay a while."  
  
Damon's own eyebrow raised, and he smiled back at her. "Really," he said.  
  
Seraphina's laugh echoed through the night like music. "Not you," she said. She pointed to the path that led through the gravestones to a boy in jeans and a letterman jacket. He frowned, recognising the boy as Bonnie's little brother.  
  
A sudden blur rushed past them both then, ignoring all of them. Damon stepped back, confused, watching the girl.  
  
"Raquelle, wait!" Bonnie's brother called.   
  
The girl stopped then, panting, seeming afraid. She looked as though she didn't know where she was. "I can't talk," she said in a frightened, high-pitched voice. And ran again. She moved like lightning. The boy ran after her.   
  
Seraphina looked surprised. "What's she doing here?" she asked.  
  
Damon blinked. "You know her?"  
  
"That's Raquelle, my baby sister." Seraphina glanced at him, her eyebrow raised. "You changed her too, but then you got some sense knocked into you when you saw me." She smiled at him, and walked off into the darkness, disappearing into the night.   
  
Damon leaned against the nearest gravestone, arms folded, a frown marring his features. Memories were surging up around him. He vaguely recalled a girl called Raquelle, shortly after the incident with Katherine. The girl had looked very, very similar. She had been the same, sweet, innocent. But the plus side with this girl was, she wanted him, and only him. He remembered her letting him drink her blood, the thrill it had given them both.   
  
And then Seraphina had come along. And he'd fallen for her. By that time, he'd already changed Raquelle. He had a sketchy memory of seeing them fighting over him. He had been amused. But he hadn't known they were sisters.   
  
A feeling of horror washed over him, something he'd never actually felt before. He realised then, he felt bad about what he'd done, and that was really saying something, because Damon never felt bad about anything he did.   
  
But this time he felt bad because what he'd done had been done to him. My God, he thought. I'm Katherine!  
  
* * *   
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Part 11  
  
Jason frowned, watching Raquelle race past him, seeming unsure as to what was happening. He called her name, and she ran right past. He watched her, fascinated. He'd had no idea she could move that fast.  
  
He ran after her, calling her name again. By the time they got to what used to be Wickery Bridge. Raquelle looked around, as if wondering how she could get across the river.   
  
"Raquelle!" he panted. "Wait!"  
  
Raquelle finally turned to him, her eyes were wild with fear and panic...and something else he didn't quite understand. Guilt? "What?"  
  
"What's going on?" he asked. "What's wrong? What did that guy do to you?" It was pretty obvious that Bonnie's "friend" had done something to Raquelle. If the bastard had hurt her in anyway, Jason silently vowed to make sure the guy would never see another dawn.   
  
Raquelle shook her head. "I..I don't know what you mean," she stammered, blatantly lying.   
  
"You looked at Bonnie's friend and just took off. Did he hurt you or something?"  
  
Raquelle looked away and shook her head again. "Not in the way you're thinking," she said in a soft voice. "It was a very long time ago." She seemed to have calmed down a bit now, and looked as if she were attempting to get a grip on herself. Her eyes were moving around the surrounding area. All that was there were fields, the river, the remains of the bridge.   
  
"What's going *on* Raquelle?" he asked again. "Talk to me. You can trust me."  
  
"Won't Daphne be mad?" Raquelle said vaguely.  
  
Jason frowned, thinking of Daphne's "news." Was Raquelle *really* a vampire? It sounded so impossible. Besides, vampires weren't real. He'd heard all the stories about Bonnie and her friends, but personally, he hadn't believed them. He never talked about it to Bonnie, though. He tried to avoid the subject as much as possible.   
  
"Daphne and I aren't together anymore," he said finally. "She's so...superficial. I don't care what she thinks."  
  
Raquelle shook her head. "I can't talk to you. You won't understand." She looked at him then, her expression sad. "Please leave me alone." And she was gone before he could say anything else, almost as if she had disappeared. One minute she was there beside him, the next she was gone.   
  
Jason shook his head in confusement, and sighed heavily. He turned around to go back home. He headed back the way he'd come, through the old cemetery. He shuddered. The old cemetery gave him the creeps. He was getting a very strange feeling as he passed through, almost as if someone was watching him. He tried to shake off the feeling, telling himself it was only his imagination.  
  
  
He quickened his pace. The sooner he got out of here, the better. He heard a noise on the path and whirled round, to find himself facing a pretty girl, dressed in dark clothing, golden hair rippling down her back. He blinked. "Raquelle?" She'd run and changed? That was weird.  
  
The girl laughed. The sound was cold, and sent chills rippling down Jason's spine. "Sorry, wrong one. I'm Seraphina. I'm new in town."  
  
Jason felt a little embarrassed, but really wasn't in the mood for polite small talk. He had more important things on his mind. "Really? Are you starting school?"  
  
Seraphina smiled. Something about her was very disturbing. She had an aura of darkness about her. It was similar to the feeling he got about Raquelle. But Raquelle didn't give him the creeps. This girl did. He didn't like the way she'd followed him in the darkness. "Yes," she said. "I am. I hear you're one of *the* best people to know."  
  
He smiled weakly at the compliment. "It's late and I gotta get home. Maybe I'll see you around," he said quickly.   
  
"Count on it," she said softly. And was gone. Jason stood alone, completely baffled. What the hell was going on? Three weeks ago the biggest concern in his life had been doing well in his classes, to get into a good college, football, and dating Daphne. Now two new girls had shown up, and everything was falling apart.   
  
He almost ran the rest of the way home, putting on both door locks, unsure what he wanted to keep out.   
  
* * *  
  



	6. Parts 12-18

Part 12  
  
Bonnie looked up as she heard the door close, and Jason came into the lounge. "Did you find Raquelle?" she asked.   
  
"Yeah, but she wouldn't talk. I think there's something going on between her and that friend of yours." Jason looked at her meaningfully.  
  
Bonnie groaned, ready to kill Damon already. Why did everyone have to assume just because they'd been seen together they were dating? It was infuriating. *He* was infuriating. Ugh. Jerk. "What'd you mean?"  
  
"I don't know. I thought maybe they used to go out or something and he dumped her, or hurt her or something, but when I asked, she said something about whatever happened between them was a very long time ago." Jason sounded confused.  
  
Bonnie couldn't blame him really. This was all very, very weird. She doubted Damon was used to girls looking at him and suddenly running. "You like her?" she suggested.  
  
Jason sighed. "Yeah, I do. She's cute, and something new...there's something *different* about her..." His expression had turned almost dreamy, and then he shook his head. "But she's hiding something. She..."  
  
"Daphne's not happy?" Bonnie said. Daphne had looked rather jealous when she'd come over briefly before.   
Jason laughed sourly. "Daphne's jealous alright. She actually said Raquelle was a *vampire*. She swore she saw her with pointy teeth and that she killed someone." Jason snorted in disgust. "So I ditched her." He sighed. "I have some homework." And he left then.  
  
Bonnie sank back into the couch cushions. Raquelle was a vampire? Maybe Daphne wasn't making it up. And Raquelle had seemed so afraid of Damon.  
  
Unless...an idea was beginning to form in Bonnie's mind as she put two and two together, guessing what had happened. Oh that asshole! How could he have done that? She grabbed her coat and her keys and stormed off to go look for him. He deserved to be taught a lesson.   
  
But on her search for Damon, she found the other girl, Raquelle. Maybe she could get Raquelle to talk to her. The girl was sitting at a table outside the coffee shop, and Bonnie joined her. "Raquelle?" she asked. "Look, uh...hi. I'm Bonnie, Jason's sister."  
  
The girl looked up at her, eyebrow raised. "I'm not Raquelle."   
  
Bonnie blinked. "Huh?"  
  
The girl smiled. "I'm her sister, Seraphina."  
  
Bonnie flushed. "Oh God, I'm sorry. You two look really similar." The girl was the same height, with the same golden hair and blue eyes. What was it with Damon and blue-eyed blondes?   
  
She opened her mouth to speak, and then noticed something that made her words die on her tongue. Seraphina didn't reflect in the metal table. She looked up at met the girl's jewel blue eyes.   
  
Seraphina sighed, slightly annoyed. "Yes, yes, I'm a vampire, and Damon made me."  
  
Bonnie was surprised at the girl's sudden bluntness. "I..."  
  
"I read your friend's diary up in the local library," she answered.   
"Oh." Bonnie had forgotten about that. In that case, if this girl was a vampire, then...  
  
She was right. Damon was going to be so dead when she found him. What was the matter with him? You'd have thought after what had happened with him, Stefan and Katherine he'd have learned about changing people who hate each other. But then again, did...  
  
Oh this was a pain. It wasn't even any of her business. But she was still pissed at Damon.   
  
"You're Jason's sister?" Seraphina asked.   
  
"Uh, yeah," Bonnie said. "You know Jason."  
  
The girl smiled, and something about it was oddly chilling. No wonder Damon liked her. She seemed like he did. Arrogant and annoying. "Yes, we met about twenty minutes ago. He seems nice." Seraphina's eyebrow raised. "Does he have a girlfriend?"  
  
Bonnie frowned. "No. Not anymore. He just dumped her."  
  
"How convenient." Seraphina stood up. "I have to go now. It was nice meeting you." And with that, she practically vanished.   
  
Bonnie shook her own head in confusion. This was getting absurd. Where did all these weird people suddenly keep coming from. A loud screech sounded above her head, and she realised it was coming from the crow that was watching her, perched on the branch of a near-by tree.   
  
The crow flew into the shadows, and a second later Damon emerged. Bonnie walked up to him, and slapped him hard. "You asshole!" she snapped.   
  
Damon's eyebrow raised. He looked mildly amused. "What was that for?"  
  
"You made two sisters that hate each other vampires. What the hell is the matter with you?" she hissed, trying to keep her voice down, despite how mad she was. She didn't want to be overheard and have people think she was insane.   
  
"Maybe we should start calling him Katherine," a sarcastic voice behind her said.   
  
Bonnie turned. "Meredith!" Her friend stood there, dressed in an elegant wine-coloured business suit. Her dark hair hung loose to her shoulders, her dark eyes were shining warmly at Bonnie. Bonnie hugged her friend. "What are you doing here?"  
  
"Coming to visit you?" Meredith said, an eyebrow raised. "We arranged this last week. I was on my way to your house, and I saw you here."  
  
"That's not funny," Damon said, sounding a little annoyed. Wow, he actually could show some emotion, Bonnie thought. She sighed, and they sat down at one of the tables.   
  
"What's going on?" Meredith asked. "Seriously."  
  
Bonnie sighed, and glared at Damon, who just shrugged. "Don't ask me," he said.   
  
"It's your fault," she snapped.  
  
"I didn't know they were sisters!" he snapped back.   
  
"That's no excuse!"  
  
"You two want to let me in?" Meredith asked.   
  
Bonnie sighed and told her what was going on. Meredith listened, face expressionless. No change there. Bonnie sighed again.   
  
"A case of history repeating itself, again," Meredith said finally. She didn't sound too happy.  
  
Bonnie hadn't thought about that. But now she did, it seemed that Meredith was right. "Oh God," she muttered. "We have to stop this."  
  
"How?" Damon asked. "You don't know what's going on." He sounded, if anything, almost peeved.   
  
"I don't know," Bonnie whispered. "Both Seraphina and Raquelle like Jason. And he doesn't know who they really are. We have to do something. I don't want him ending up like Elena."  
  
No one said anything.   
  
* * *   
  
Part 13  
  
Jason couldn't get Raquelle out his mind. There was something she was hiding from him. She had looked like she wanted to talk, but was afraid of what he might think.  
  
He didn't care, he decided. He wanted to know, to help her. Whatever it was, he would get her to talk. He knew she was staying at old Mrs. Flower's boarding house. The drive over there took ten minutes.   
  
Mrs. Flowers wasn't around, and the door swung open when he knocked. He found Raquelle's name and room number on a board in the hall. She was in the attic room. He made his way up the creaky old stairs, and for some reason, suddenly felt afraid.  
  
His skin was prickling and the hair on his arms and the back of his neck was standing on end. He didn't understand why he suddenly felt like this.   
  
He knocked on the door to Raquelle's room. No one answered. "Raquelle?" he called out. "It's Jason. Look, I need to talk to you." He tried the door handle. It turned. He wondered why no one was bothering to lock the door. Where was everyone?   
  
He went inside Raquelle's room. All that was there was the bed, an antique dresser and a chest of some sort in the corner. And something else that seemed weird. A small fridge. He sat down on the bed, waiting for Raquelle.   
  
One other thing, he noticed, was there were no mirrors. That was strange. Raquelle was beautiful, and from what he knew, beautiful girls loved looking in mirrors. Then again, Raquelle wasn't like any other girl he'd ever met.   
  
He waited, tapping his fingers impatiently. He kept glancing over at the fridge. He couldn't understand why he was getting a very, very bad feeling about it. It was just a refrigerator for God's sake. What was inside, a dead body?  
  
Suddenly he had to see. He yanked the door open. There was no dead body there. But something almost as bad. He reeled back in shock, horror coursing over him.   
  
Inside the fridge, were packets and bottles of something dark red. He frowned, doubting it was tomato juice. He unscrewed the cap on one bottle, and took a tiny, medicine size sip. He spat it out.   
  
Blood.  
  
It was blood.   
  
He dropped the bottle, and turned to run. He didn't see what was behind him until he bumped into it. In a movement too fast for him to see Raquelle had grabbed the bottle of blood and the cap before it hit the floor.  
  
Great reflexes, he thought vaguely.   
  
Raquelle put the cap back on the bottle and put the bottle back in the fridge. She closed the door and eyed him. Her expression was one of sadness and guilt combined.   
  
Blood? She drank *blood?* There was only one thing he could think of that did that, and that didn't like mirrors either. "You're a vampire," he said bluntly.   
  
Raquelle flushed. "Yes. I didn't actually *ask* to be one. It wasn't my fault. It was your sister's friend. I thought he loved me, but I guess he loved my older sister Seraphina more. He dumped me and went off with her." She sounded sad, almost lonely.   
  
Jason was surprised. "Seraphina's your sister?" He'd wondered what she'd meant when she'd said, "wrong one."  
  
Raquelle frowned, and looked even unhappier. "You know Seraphina?"  
  
Jason nodded. "I met her after you ran away from me."  
  
"Did you like her?"  
  
Jason was surprised at the sudden bluntness of the question. He wasn't sure. Seraphina had given him the creeps, particularly when she'd told him he could count on seeing her round. He sighed, not even sure if he liked Raquelle anymore. The girl was a *vampire.* She drank *blood.*  
  
Daphne was right, he realised. He eyed Raquelle warily, wondering if she was going to do anything. But she didn't. She just folded her arms and stared at the floor. "Maybe you'd better go," she said.   
  
"Yeah." And for the second time that night, Jason couldn't wait to get home where he would be safe from the monsters. Yet, he was somehow having trouble convincing himself at the truth of this.   
  
* * *  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Part 14  
  
As it turned out, Jason's relief at beating the monsters home was short lived. When he got home, Bonnie and her friend Meredith were sitting on the couch. The creepy guy who had scared Raquelle was sitting in one of the armchairs. They were obviously waiting for him.   
  
"What?" he asked. "It's late, I'm tired. I've had enough weird stuff for one day."  
  
"Sit," Bonnie ordered, pointing to the other chair. Jason groaned and sat. Would this day *never* end? It was beginning to seem like it. He looked around.  
  
"Raquelle and her sister are vampires," he said flatly. "I know. She told me. And I'm guessing he's got something to do with it." He threw an angry glare at the creepy guy, who's name he didn't know.  
  
"Yes, Damon changed them both," Bonnie said, equally angry.   
  
The creepy guy - Damon - looked rather bland about it. He just shrugged. "I didn't know they were sisters," he said. He stood up. "There's nothing to do about it." He stood up and left then before anyone could say anything.   
  
"I'm gonna kill that guy in a second," Bonnie growled, chin lifted, face determined.  
  
Meredith sighed heavily. "Let him go, Bonnie. He's not worth your effort."  
  
Jason sighed. "What has all of this got to do with me?"  
  
Bonnie and Meredith exchanged glances. "I don't know what you've heard about what happened during our senior year, but we're going to tell you what really happened, and you'd better listen, cause it looks like it's happening again, to the next generation," Bonnie said.  
  
Jason opened his mouth to protest, but gave up. He sat and listened as Bonnie and Meredith told him the whole story about Stefan and Elena.   
  
All he'd heard were rumours, they were supposed to have been the town's sort of Romeo and Juliet, a tragic love story, involving vampires, a white kitten, a white owl, a black crow, other weird things, stolen diaries...he'd seen Elena's diary up in the town's library, but had never bothered to read it.   
  
You weren't supposed to read other people's diaries, even if the person was dead. Besides, it was old news. It had never concerned him before. As far as Jason had been concerned, vampires were just myths.   
  
Now, as it turned out, he'd been proved very, very wrong. And now, it seemed, the whole thing was happening again. Raquelle, a mysterious new girl had shown up, hiding something. And she was a vampire. Then Raquelle's even more mysterious older sister Serephina had shown up, the bad vampire. And they both liked him.   
  
  
  
He attracted all kinds of girls to him, and he'd never really had a problem with it before, until he'd started attracting the walking undead.   
  
This was a disaster.   
  
"How do we stop this?" he asked.  
  
Bonnie and Meredith shrugged. "Last time there was another power controlling everything, and she was insane, but I don't think there's anything like that this time." Bonnie paused. " At least, I hope not."  
  
"There's Daphne," Jason said, suddenly remembering. "You've seen what she can do when she's pissed off." Oh great. He'd totally forgotten about Daphne.   
  
"There's no way to know how to stop this," Meredith said finally. It was the right answer, but not the one Jason wanted to hear. "What happens is up to you."  
  
"I was afraid of that."  
  
Now what?  
  
* * *  
Part 15  
  
Meanwhile, Daphne was pondering the ideas of vampirism. Was the whole concept really that bad? Okay, the only downside was the blood thing, but maybe it was something she could get used to. She thought of Raquelle, who was pretty, young, smart, and immortal.  
  
It was that that her mind focused on. She would live forever. She would be physically perfect without effort. She would have powers she hadn't dreamt of. She had read Elena's diary for a second time, carefully, focusing on the things Elena mentioned about being a vampire.   
  
Daphne shut the book and put it back. It was the next day, and Daphne hadn't bothered with school, there were more important things on her mind. She would find Raquelle, force the girl to change Daphne, and then once Daphne was a vampire, she could kill Raquelle.   
  
And Jason would be all hers again. She could change him too, and they could be together, forever.   
  
Living forever...to never die...she could see what the world of the future would bring...that fascinated her...thinking about what the world would be like in the year 3000. She would live that long if she were a vampire.  
  
Right. Decision made.   
  
First thing was find Raquelle. Raquelle was probably in school right now. If she went and demanded that Raquelle change her into a vampire, everyone would think she was insane. What would it do to her reputation?   
  
Once she was changed, and Jason, then maybe she could bring Abi and Beth over too. Then they would all be together, and never be separated.   
  
She decided to wait for Raquelle at the boarding house she was staying in. She hurried out the library, and realised she was getting a stroke of luck. She could see Raquelle sitting at a table in a small café.  
  
She marched over and sat down without being invited. Raquelle looked at her, a slightly amused expression on her face, her blue eyes twinkling.   
  
"Let's get one thing straight," Daphne said. "I don't like you. I never liked you. And you're going to pay for stealing my boyfriend. Second," she leaned closer, hissing, "I know what you are Raquelle."  
  
Raquelle sighed in annoyance, and Daphne backed away. "Maybe I should wear a name-tag or something," the girl muttered. "For the fourth time, I am *not* Raquelle. I'm Raquelle's older sister, Seraphina."  
  
Daphne blinked, feeling embarrassment rush up her cheeks. "But are you what Raquelle is? As in..."  
  
"Undead?" Seraphina asked. "Yes. But don't worry, I don't like Raquelle either."  
  
"Oh, good, then maybe you can help me," Daphne said, brightening. Maybe this girl wasn't so bad. "I hate Raquelle cause she stole my boyfriend. But I want to be...you know...too, so I can kill her and make her pay." Daphne looked around, seeing a few other customers sitting outside the café. She didn't want to say the word 'vampire' in front of them.   
  
Seraphina looked at her. "Who's your boyfriend?"  
  
"Jason McCullough."  
  
Seraphina's expression darkened. "No deal. He's mine. I want him."  
  
Daphne frowned, not expecting that. But of course, who was she kidding? Ever girl wanted Jason. Jason was gorgeous, what did she expect? But she never had to worry about competition up until now.   
  
Seraphina's eyebrow raised. "Tell you what, I have an idea. I have a friend you might like."  
  
"Oh?" Daphne was interested. There were other vampires besides Raquelle and Seraphina. There had to be. Stefan had been one. Now, she realised, the whole story in the book was actually true. It had really happened. But still...  
  
Seraphina lifted a hand and pointed across the street. Daphne turned, seeing the really hot guy who had been talking with Jason's sister Bonnie that day Raquelle had freaked and run away from him.   
  
But if he'd made Raquelle run...  
  
"That's my friend Damon, you'd like him," Seraphina said. "We'll swap; I'll have Jason, and you can have Damon."  
  
Daphne's eyebrow raised. She remembered reading about Damon in Elena's diary. Damon was the bad guy. But he was really, really gorgeous. Even hotter than Jason.   
  
"Okay," she said. "You've got yourself a deal. But we need a plan"  
  
Seraphina smiled. "Way ahead of you there. I have a plan."  
  
Daphne smiled back. "I think you and I are going to be good friends."  
  
* * *  
  
Part 16  
  
Raquelle was leaving. It made sense to go now. Everything had gone wrong. She should have known Jason wouldn't be able to accept her for who she really was. Seraphin and Damon were in town too. That just made everything more awkward for her. Seraphina wanted Jason. Raquelle didn't stand a chance.   
  
She threw her things into suitcases. How could she have been so stupid? She wasn't human, and would never fit in among humans.   
  
What would happen now that Jason knew? Would he go around telling everyone? Then everyone would run screaming when she walked by.  
  
Or worse, what if they chased her with stakes and torches to burn her? She shuddered at the thought.  
  
She could feel tears beginning to bead in her eyes. She had never asked for any of this.   
  
It was all Damon's fault.   
  
Because he was so sexy and charming she had fallen for him, and he had given her a living hell. Had he even recognised her? Probably not. He wouldn't give a damn about her.   
  
She had loved him, and he had bitterly betrayed her. She shook her head, and the tears spilled over. She hadn't thought of Damon in so long. But now he was here...all her memories were stirring again. His touch, his kiss...how thrilled she had been that he had wanted her...  
  
Which made the betrayal all the worse. He had never even *said* anything to her. He had just gone. Just left. Well, a not exactly. She had seen him with Seraphina and *she* had fled. Had that actually affected Damon in any way? Did he ever even think about what he had done to her?  
  
No. Probably not.   
  
And now Jason was abandoning her too. She had thought he would be her friend. But now he knew the truth he couldn't deal, like most humans.   
  
And of course, he was right in thinking she was a monster. She was. She was a killer. She had killed that boy.   
  
A knock on the door startled her out of her unhappy reverie. She blinked, coming back to reality and went to open the door, getting a surprise.  
  
"Damon."  
  
* * *  
Damon stood there on the doorstep, Ever since she had run away from him, Raquelle had been in his thoughts. He had always wondered what had happened to her, why she'd run away from him. No girl had ever done that before. Most girls fell at his feet and would do whatever he wanted.   
  
She stared at him, a look of complete shock on her face. He stood there, and for probably the first time in his life, he couldn't think of a single thing to say.   
  
Raquelle stood back. "I suppose you want to come in," she said finally.  
  
He shrugged. "Yeah, I guess."  
  
Raquelle frowned. "All right. Come in."  
  
Damon stepped into the attic bedroom, cleared now of any traces of showing that someone lived there, two suitcases were on the bed. He moved them to the floor, and sat down on the bed without being invited.   
  
"Why are you here?" she asked.  
  
It was a good question. "I'm not really sure," he admitted. "I guess I..." It took a lot of effort for him to get the next words out. He never regretted anything he did. He lived for now, in the moment, and didn't care who he hurt. But still...this girl was having a very strange effect on him. "I guess because I wanted to say...I'm...sorry." There. It was out. And yet he didn't really feel any different, worse or better. He felt...neutral.   
  
Raquelle stared at him, her eyebrow raised. "It's a little late for sorry," she said.   
  
"I know, but it cant hurt to say it anyway," he said. He frowned, it had taken him a lot of effort to actually apologize, but she didn't seem to realise that. Studying Raquelle, he thought maybe there was a definite resemblance to Katherine, Raquelle had the same long golden hair, the same jewel blue eyes, a sort of wonderful innocence about her...or she had when he'd first met her.  
  
But he'd changed that. He hadn't actually *meant* to change her. It had just sort of...happened. It had been exciting for her, to exchange blood. But then...she had woken up...a vampire.  
  
But by that time he'd already met Seraphina, who had seemed much more his type. But Seraphina had actually left *him*. She had run off with some snotty French shapeshifter.   
  
"How do you feel about me?" he asked Raquelle rather bluntly.  
  
Raquelle blinked, obviously surprised by the question. She opened her mouth to speak, then stopped. "I don't know," she admitted.   
  
"Raquelle?"  
  
Damon glanced over at the door, irritated to see Bonnie's baby brother there. He really was not in the mood for dealing with annoying little human brats right now.   
  
"What the hell is *he* doing there?" Jason demanded, glancing over at Raquelle.  
  
Raquelle didn't say anything. She looked uncomfortable.   
  
Damon sighed heavily. "Run along, little boy. This isn't something for children to get involved in."  
  
"I'm not going anywhere," Jason snapped. "I want to talk to Raquelle."  
  
Damon looked over at Raquelle, who looked confused. He couldn't really blame her. "Raquelle?"  
  
She looked from one to the other, her mouth open but no sound coming out.   
  
"Choose," Jason said bluntly.   
  
Raquelle shook her head. "I can't...I need time...both of you have to go away now." She turned her back on them. Damon was annoyed, but didn't do anything. He turned around and left.  
  
* * *   
Part 17  
  
Daphne frowned, wondering why Seraphina was leading them to Jason's house. She doubted Jason would open the door and immediately and meekly give into Seraphina. Jason had an annoyingly strong will.  
  
"What are you doing?" Daphne asked, finally breaking her vow of silence. Seraphina had already said she had a plan, so Daphne had left it up to her to be the brains. Once strong and powerful and immortal, being the smartest person in the world certainly wasn't the most important thing. She would be young and pretty forever. That was what mattered.   
  
Seraphina grabbed the door handle and turned it, opening the door. "Invite me in," she told Daphne.  
  
Daphne blinked. "Huh?"  
  
Seraphina sighed with impatience. "I can't come in unless you invite me."  
  
Daphne stepped inside the house. "I...uh...invite you in."  
  
"Good enough," Seraphina said, pushing her out the way. She stood still in the hall for several minutes, her nose moving as if she was sniffing the air.   
  
"He's not here," she said, looking slightly annoyed.  
  
"What the hell is going on?" Bonnie came into the hall then, an annoyed expression on her face. Meredith was behind her, frowning a little.  
  
Daphne didn't say anything. She looked over at Seraphina, who sighed again. Seraphina waved her hand, as if slashing something in the air. Bonnie and Meredith fell down unconscious.  
  
Daphne's eyebrow raised. "How'd you do that? And why?"  
  
Seraphina just smiled. She was really begging to get on Daphne's knees. "Don't worry, it's all part of my plan."  
  
* * *  
  
Bonnie woke up, her head throbbing and her throat dry. She wondered vaguely where she was. Her mind was spinning and her vision was blurry. Her arms hurt, and were in a strange position behind her back against something hard and cold.   
  
Finally, her vision seemed to steady, and she focused, frowning. She glanced over at Meredith, seated next to her. "Meredith?" she muttered.   
  
"I'm awake," Meredith said in a soft voice. She looked around the room. "Oh God," she whispered.  
  
Bonnie didn't understand. What the hell was going on? Where were they? Candles were lit at intervals, she could see two stone lids, broken in half, things scattered along the floor...  
  
"Oh no..." Realisation hit.  
  
They were in the crypt beneath the ruined church. A sudden shiver ran through her, and she knew without question someone was going to die down here, again. History was repeating itself.   
  
"Not again," Bonnie whispered. "Not again."  
  
"Not again what?" Meredith asked.  
  
"Someone's going to die down here," Bonnie whispered. "I had a premonition."  
  
Meredith frowned. "Well it's not gonna be us."  
  
"We'll see," a cheerful voice said.   
  
Bonnie turned, not sure she was seeing right. "Daphne? What are you doing?"  
  
Daphne shrugged. "Don't ask me, this was *her* idea."  
  
Bonnie looked over to where Daphne was pointing to a tall girl, in a flowing black dress, a mane of golden hair cascading down her back.   
  
"It's Seraphina's plan," Daphne said.   
  
"What's the plan?" Meredith asked Seraphina.  
  
Seraphina looked at him, as if eyeing something revolting. "I want Jason, Daphne wants Damon. You two are the bait to get Jason down here."  
  
Meredith was amused. "And how exactly are you planning on getting *Damon* down here? Damon won't care about saving us. He doesn't care about anything that isn't Damon."  
  
"When Jason comes down, we're going to hold him prisoner too, of course," Seraphina said tiredly, as if explaining to a five year old. "Then we'll get that idiot little sister of mine who'll race to come and save him. Damon has...a soft spot for her. He'll come to save her."  
  
Bonnie and Meredith exchanged glances. If only there was some way she could warn Jason. Bonnie wished she had a vampire's telepathy.   
  
"So what happens then?" she asked.  
  
"I don't know," Seraphina said. "That's as far as I've got with the plan. We'll have to wait and see, I suppose."  
  
* * *  
Part 18  
  
The minute Jason approached his house he knew something was wrong. All day he'd been getting an uncomfortable sense that something was wrong. He hadn't been able to exactly ell what, but he was certain something *was.*  
  
The girls at school had been all over him, ever since they'd learned he'd broken up with Daphne. Daphne herself had been absent all day. He wondered vaguely where she'd been. Was she actually sick? Or was it just because she couldn't stand the humiliation of knowing everyone had dumped her?  
  
Raquelle had been at school, which had surprised him. Considering the state she'd been in last night he would have thought she'd stay at home, but she hadn't. She had kept her distance from him, but several times he had caught her looking at him, with a distant longing, her eyes shining wetly.   
  
He sighed, still unsure how he felt about her. She was a *vampire.* She drank *blood*, for God's Sake. But did that mean she was a bad person? She had never done anything to hurt him...  
  
He shoved thoughts of Raquelle to the back of his mind, looking around his empty house. Something he couldn't identify was hanging on the air.  
  
The door had been wide open. Bonnie would never leave the door open. Where was she?  
  
"Bonnie?" he called out.  
  
Silence answered him.  
  
He hurried into the kitchen. There was a piece of paper on the kitchen table. He snatched it up, wondering if it held some sort of clue.   
  
Anger sparked inside him as he read it, deciding whoever this was was going to pay. The note instructed him to come to the crypt beneath the ruined church in the graveyard. A trap of some sort, he was certain of it.   
  
He couldn't go alone. And there was only one person he could think of who could help him.  
  
* * *  
  
Raquelle was surprised when she found Jason on her doorstep. She frowned, really not quite ready to be confronted with him again. But from the first moment she actually looked at him, she realised something was wrong.  
  
"What's happened?" she asked.  
  
Jason handed her a piece of paper. Raquelle took it, and read it, recognising Seraphina's curly, loopy handwriting.   
  
"Your sister and Daphne have Bonnie and Meredith and they're planning on doing something terrible unless we both get to the crypt and stop them," he said flatly.  
  
"This is some sort of trap to lure us both there," Raquelle guessed.  
  
Jason nodded. "I need your help."  
  
"I'm not strong enough to defeat Seraphina," Raquelle said simply. It was the honest truth. Seraphina was stronger, more Powerful, completely in control. Raquelle herself, tried to deny who she was, burying her power instead of harnessing it. "But I can think of someone who is."  
  
Jason didn't look happy, obviously guessing she was referring to Damon. He shook his head vehemently. "No way," he said stubbornly.  
  
"Oh come on," Raquelle snapped, annoyed. "You know, and I know, he's stronger than both of us and we need to convince him to help us."  
  
Jason sighed heavily. Raquelle guessed he was realising he was guessing there wasn't any other choice. She opened the door, and stepped back suddenly, gasping in surprise.  
  
Damon smiled at her from where he stood leaning against the doorjamb. "You rang?"  
  
Raquelle stared at him in amazement. "How did you..." She trailed off and shook her head.   
  
Jason scowled silently.   
  
Raquelle told Damon what was going on. Damon listened, and then just shrugged. "So? Why should I help you? What's in it for me?"  
  
Raquelle tried to control the rage she felt stirring. He was so infuriating! He showed up when he obviously knew she needed him, then refused to help? Bastard.   
  
"You're the most annoying person I've ever met," she snapped.  
  
Damon smiled. "Lots of people seem to think that."  
  
"Gee, I wonder why," Jason snorted.   
  
"But still, why should I help you?" Damon asked.   
Raquelle groaned silently. Then an idea struck her. She smiled at him. "Because we need you," she said, putting a sort of desperate tone into her voice. "You're stronger than we are, more powerful. We need you..." She hated sounding so whiny and pathetic, but if all else failed, try flattery.  
  
Damon sighed heavily. "All right, all right."  
  
Jason glared at Raquelle, who just shrugged helplessly. At least he was helping. Even if forced.   
  
"Let's go."  
* * *  



	7. Parts 19-21

Part 19  
  
For what must be the first time in years Damon felt uncomfortable. He was not at all keen about being back in the crypt. The place had a surprising cold feel to it, a smell of dankness and decay. He could feel the tension from the others. Raquelle stood a little too close to him, but he wasn't really in the mood for objecting. They had all remained silent on the journey down here.   
  
He could see the wrought iron gate, and tried not to let his mind drift. The sooner they dealt with this problem the sooner they could get the hell out of there.  
  
This time it was Bonnie and Meredith tied to the iron gate, looking a little surprised. Obviously they hadn't expected him to come.   
  
Seraphina was smiling brilliantly at them, the small blonde by her side, had a sort of hungry, hunting look in her blue eyes. He stared at her, not sure he was seeing right...  
  
No. Not Elena.   
  
"Daphne, what are you up to?"  
  
He glanced over at Jason, who was scowling at the girl, fists clenched.  
  
"Do enlighten us," he added.  
  
Daphne, the blonde, smiled at him. "You're going to make me a vampire."  
  
Damon stared at her, an eyebrow raised in amusement. "Do I have a choice?"  
  
Daphne smiled again. "No."  
  
Before he could even blink Seraphina suddenly had a strong grip on Raquelle, a sharpened wooden stake poised above her heart.   
  
"Well, if you don't, then I get to have my fun," Seraphina said sweetly.  
  
He glanced over at her. "Why should I care?"  
  
"You bastard!" Raquelle snapped.  
  
"I wonder why lots of people seem top think that about me," Damon mused.  
  
"Maybe because it's true," Meredith snorted.  
  
"What do I have to do with all this?" Jason asked.  
  
Seraphina smiled. "You're for me to play with."  
  
Jason glared. "Maybe I don't want to play with you."  
  
Seraphina shrugged. "Then your sister will die."  
  
Nobody moved.  
  
* * *  
  
Daphne was getting annoyed. Seraphina's plan was *not* working. She scowled furiously as Seraphina tied Raquelle and Jason to the gate. Mr. Tall Dark and Gorgeous didn't seem to be doing much, just standing back and watching everyone else. He looked as if this whole thing amused him.   
  
He caught her staring and gave her a stunning smile. "Why don't you come over here and we can get started?" he suggested, a gleam in his dark eyes.  
  
* * *  
Raquelle struggled pointlessly against the robes that bound her wrist to the iron gate. She stared at Damon in utter disbelief. She should have known better than to trust him.  
  
~What are you *doing?*~ she asked him telepathically.  
  
~You'll see,~ was all he said.  
  
* * *   
Part 20  
  
Damon waited for Daphne to approach him, an encouraging smile on his face. She, of course, would have no idea what he was planning. His eyes focused on the nice blue veins, bulging under her pretty swan-like neck. She came closer to him, slowly, almost as if in slow motion. His mouth was beginning to water in anticipation of feeding, he could feel his canine teeth lengthening.  
  
As Daphne approached him, he reached out, grabbing her shoulders, sinking his teeth into her neck. The hot blood gushed into his mouth, filling him with a warm, tingly sensation. The girls screams filled his ear, her fear giving the blood a wonderful extra spice to the taste.   
  
When she was dead, he tossed the body to the floor. No one had been prepared for that.   
  
Seraphina was staring at him, a look of surprise on her face. She didn't seem too broken up about it.  
  
He looked behind him to the ante room of the crypt. "Now where the hell is my back up team?" he mused aloud.  
* * *  
"Right here."  
  
Bonnie blinked, not sure she was hearing right. "*Stefan?*"  
  
And there he was, appearing silently behind Seraphina, staking her with a large, sharp piece of wood. Seraphina's expression turned to one of utter shock, before she burst into a fine cloud of dust.   
  
"Let's get you guys out of here." The next thing Bonnie knew Elena had appeared as silently as Stefan and was busy untying everyone.   
  
"That was unexpected," Meredith said. Even she was surprised. And that really was something.   
  
"Why are you guys here?" Bonnie asked, confused.  
  
"I knew Seraphina was up to something," Damon said dryly. "So I figured we might need a little back up. So I called and they came." Even he sounded mildly surprised, as if he hadn't expected Stefan and Elena to actually show up.  
  
"Wow, Damon's smarter than he looks," Raquelle snorted. "I didn't realise he actually had brains in that arrogant head of his."  
  
"Neither did I," Stefan said dryly.  
  
Damon smiled at Raquelle. "I can do lots of things you don't know about."  
  
Bonnie and Elena exchanged glances. Damon never changed.   
  
"Hey, you never made your decision," Jason said to Raquelle.  
  
Bonnie frowned. "What decision?"  
  
Jason glanced over at her. "Raquelle has to choose between me and Damon."  
  
Bonnie looked over at Raquelle, along with everyone else, waiting.  
  
* * *  
With everyone looking at her Raquelle realised she had no choice but to actually make her decision then and there. She looked from Jason to Damon, still unsure. She tried to think about their good points and bad points.  
  
Jason was nice and kind, smart. Bad points, he was human. He would get old and die.   
  
Damon was sophisticated, sexy, and a vampire. Bad points...too many to list.   
  
She still didn't know...  
  
* * *  
  
Jason frowned, twiddling his fingers nervously as he waited for Raquelle to make her decision. He wasn't sure he really wanted her to pick him. Maybe she wasn't a bad vampire...but still...he wasn't sure about a long term relationship with her. He still liked her, but he realised he would much rather just be friends. He looked at her and their eyes met.  
  
* * *  
Raquelle studied Jason, realising what he was thinking. She never normally read people's mind, she could, but she didn't. She could tell what he was thinking, he would much rather be friends. That would nice, to have a real friend. It had been so long since she'd had one.  
  
Right. Decision made.  
  
She walked right up to Damon, grabbed his shoulders, pulled him close and kissed him deeply. Fire ran along her nerves, as she remembered the thrill of his touch, his kiss.   
  
Damon pulled back, a little breathless and obviously surprised. "Glad to see someone else around here with brains," he said finally.   
  
Everyone else was clearly very surprised too.   
  
"And you're *okay* with that?" Bonnie said to Jason.  
  
Jason nodded. "Fine. We decided we'd much rather just be friends."  
  
"So what now?" Meredith asked.   
  
* * *  
Epilogue  
  
October 10th 2001  
Dear Diary,  
  
And once again we round off with a nice and happy ending. Even I was surprised. Damon actually got the girl. And he even managed to swallow that huge ego of his and ask Stefan and Elena for help. They've gone again now, back off to Florence. I couldn't believe it when they showed up, but I'm sure glad that they came when they did.  
  
I dread to think about what would have happened if they hadn't come. The townspeople were panicked at the thought of another unknown phenomenon in town after discovering two people with mysterious deaths...Daphne and some guy Raquelle or maybe Seraphina must have gotten in the cemetery. But since there has been no more, it's been forgotten.   
  
I don't know what people are thinking about Daphne. The whispers are that she went crazy after Jason dumped her. But at least we managed to stop history from repeating itself and Jason didn't end up like Elena.  
  
He and Raquelle are much happier just being friends, rather than being in a relationship, (I think Raquelle's more smitten with Damon than she wants to admit. But then again, who can blame her really. He may be an arrogant, pain in the ass, but he really is gorgeous, even I have to admit that.)  
  
Raquelle and Damon are going off to explore the world. I have to admit, that after running away from him for so many, *many* years that Raquelle's willing to forgive him and melt in his arms.   
  
Damon's still as annoying as ever, arrogant and stuck up, Raquelle complains about him all the time, but anyone can see how crazy they are about each other. I guess I'll never really understand it.   
  
And at the end a second time, I'm stuck single. But at least this time I'm not the only one. Meredith's still single too. She's never mentioned anyone new in her life. She gave up on Alaric, deciding he was too old for her. Her choice. She's had to go back to work now.   
  
I'm not exactly sure what Jason's doing. His reputation at school has become a little shaky since Daphne's mysterious death, but he's okay, I guess. He's planning on going to college when he graduates. Where, he hasn't decided yet.  
  
As for me, I'm moving into my new apartment tomorrow, and then it's face the big Wide World. I'm not sure if I'm thrilled or terrified by the thought. But it's going to be interesting, that's for sure.   
  
I'm not sure about the others, but something, maybe my sixth sense tells me we'll all meet up again.   
  
But I don't know everything.   
  
I wish I did, but I don't.   
  
The future's what we make it.   
  
Bonnie McCullough,  
10/10/2001  
  
THE END.  
  



End file.
